1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the use of reference clocks within distributed architectures.
2. Description of Related Art
An example of a distributed architecture includes a telecommunications (telecom) switch with a central clock for frequency distribution. Such devices and systems are used, for example, to synchronize a network to ensure that data is transmitted at a synchronized rate. In evolving applications, such devices and systems need to synchronize a network to the time of day. In such applications, there is often a need to synchronize the network to the time of day in a highly accurate manner.
Synchronous optical networking (SONET) refers to intelligent systems that provide advanced network management and a standard optical interface. Specified in the Broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) standard, SONET backbones are widely used to aggregate T1 and T3 lines. Thus, SONET is a physical layer network technology designed to carry large volumes of traffic over relatively long distances on fiber optic cabling. Accordingly, SONET is used to synchronize a frequency throughout a network as described above.
The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention are illustrative of those that can be achieved by the various exemplary embodiments and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantages which can be realized. Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the various exemplary embodiments will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned from practicing the various exemplary embodiments, both as embodied herein or as modified in view of any variation that may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention resides in the novel methods, arrangements, combinations, and improvements herein shown and described in various exemplary embodiments.